The present invention relates to a product conveying assembly.
The present invention is particularly advantageous for use on machines for packing relatively small products, such as cigarette packing machines, to which the following description refers purely by way of example.
Currently used packing machines are known to feature a conveying assembly comprising a pocket conveyor for feeding the products in steps along a given path extending between a loading station and an unloading station and through at least one work station where each product is manipulated between successive operating steps of the pocket conveyor.
Each product is normally loaded and unloaded by means of actuating devices normally comprising a pusher and a counter-pusher, and at least one of which performs a work stroke and a return stroke through each pocket when loading/unloading the product. The downtime during which the actuating devices engage each pocket at the loading and unloading stations therefore determines the hold time between successive operating steps of the pocket conveyor and, hence, the output capacity of the machine as a whole.